Category Archives: Science of Mind

Live in Joy

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“Life is not just something to be endured. It is to be lived in joy, in a fullness without limit.” – “Discover a Richer Life,” by Ernest Holmes, page 58 Ernest Holmes is the founder of the Science of Mind spiritual philosophy, part of the greater New Thought movement. It is not a religion, although he speaks much about God, for that is all there is. It is so uplifting to hear a positive conception of Spirit and way of life, and espouses us to live in joy. This is so unlike (in my limited knowledge and experience of) the Judeo-Christian religions. In those philosophies, fear of God, and judgement of self and others is taught; such a stance diminishes self-esteem and a sense of well-being, preventing one from being their authentic self and promoting a fearful disposition in life and one’s relationships. One can feel imprisoned, restricted, and surely it’s a challenge to be happy and joyous, and to truly thrive. Such a way of being in the world with self, others, and God is not very healthy emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and eventually physically. Why would I want to subscribe to such a belief system?! Well, I never have. … Continue reading →

Closer to Us Than Our Very Breath

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Lazy day… I slept a whopping 11 hours! I allowed myself that gift since I’ve got a 3-day weekend away from my job and it’s my time. And even though I didn’t sit down for my morning sabbath until after 12 Noon, Spirit was with me anyway, of course. It didn’t matter the time nor place. “We must come to realize that God is not in some far-off place, but instead that God is an inward, intimate Presence closer to us than our very breath. God is not nor can ever be separated from us, but too often we separate ourselves from God.” – “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes,” May 29 I find myself in awe simply contemplating the very concept that Spirit is closer to us than our very breath. That’s pretty close, very intimate. It’s more intimate than I could ever be with any being. And, it’s reassuring, allowing me to feel I am not alone in this physical world. Spirit is always with me, and that is true for you as well. We don’t have to walk this journey solo—in fact, we can’t since the Divine is closer to us … Continue reading →

I Keep the Promise

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Rev. Kathryn McDowell was the guest speaker at Centers for Spiritual Living-Prescott this morning. She highlighted some of the powerful words the founder of Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes, set down in his volume “The Science of Mind.” I had read a lot of the text more than 15 years ago, but had not studied it much over the years since then. I’m thrilled to say that since moving to Prescott, I’ve gotten involved with studying and practicing the philosophy again and welcomed Rev. Kathryn’s remarks. She pointed out the Introductory chapters in the book that spell out what the philosophy is about: I. The Thing Itself II. The Way It Works III. What It Does IV. How to Use It This Thing is the Power back of creation and can be used to improve our lives in all ways. I knew when I got home I needed to take down my copy of the textbook from the shelf and start reading. I was inspired—and, I really need to make some changes and improve my life to feel happier and more fulfilled. Looking through the text I was moved to glance at the short meditations Holmes shared of his ideas … Continue reading →

Unity Principles

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I often refer to and write about Science of Mind philosophy and its principles. However, I learned about Unity principles before I learned about Science of Mind. Exposed to both, it was easy to see the similarities between the two. Of course, it was no surprise, since they are both part of the New Thought spiritual movement, which also includes Divine Science and Christian Science. The five basic ideas that make up the Unity belief system are: There is only one Presence and one Power active as the universe and as my life, God the Good. Our essence is of God; therefore, we are inherently good. This God essence, called the Christ, was fully expressed in Jesus and it is within us. This spark of Divinity is within everyone. We are co-creators with God, creating our reality through thoughts held in mind. Through prayer and meditation, we align our heart-mind with God. Denials and affirmations are tools we use. Through thoughts, words and actions, we live the Truth we know.   Dear Spirit- Thank You for the New Thought spiritual movement that offers tools and empowering ideas about us and the Divine so that we can co-create lives that are … Continue reading →

Vessels for God

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It’s Sunday evening and I’m writing from the “Big City”—Phoenix, AZ. I don’t come here often since moving back north to a more rural landscape and smaller population. But I had good reason: a house concert featuring two of my favorite local New Thought singers who I came to know through Science of Mind and Unity. It’s amazing how many years have passed since we first met! I met Cerise when I initially moved from Santa Fe to Phoenix back in 2003. She was a young, married woman in her 20s; now she is 42 years old, a mother of three, tour operator and guide, in addition to being a singer and songwriter. Jeanne came into my life when I moved to Phoenix a second time, relocating from Sedona in 2015; we met when she sang at Unity of Mesa. She became my Naam Yoga teacher, and my client briefly; these days she ministers in her own church, in addition to working full-time in the corporate world, studying to be ordained as a Unity minister, and, of course, writing songs and singing. Tonight, one of the songs was about shining your light. These two women are powerhouses with their singing … Continue reading →

Change My Mind

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I get a kick out the overlap of topics amongst my morning readings. And, I also get a kick seeing the common ideas among various writers and philosophies. Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. – George Bernard Shaw Disastrous circumstances have forced us to change our mind. Now that we know we cannot get along without others, nor without a Higher Power to guide us. We are still tempted to go it alone…but we can change our mind as often as needed. With God’s help, I can exercise the greatest force for change in my life—I can change my mind. – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” April 22 *As We Understand God The aforementioned was written in the context of 12 Step recovery principles. It piggybacked on the following, an excerpt from today’s “Science of Mind” Magazine: Man’s conscious thought, acting through Law, may change any condition in his experience, provided he can clearly conceive of such conditions being changed. – Ernest Holmes, “The Science of Mind,” page 133 “Only by working from cause can a problem be solved. “If you want to solve a problem in your life, work from the cause, … Continue reading →

Making New Friends

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Today was about making new friends. Even though I’ve lived in my new hometown of Prescott, AZ for about eight months now, due to working full-time remotely at home and COVID restrictions and closures, I have been very isolated. It’s like I really could have been living anywhere in the world! But starting with spring’s rebirth, I am now socializing in person and spending time out in the world, out in my new hometown. I am tickled pink! My desire, and actual need, is to have close, local friendships and feel that I truly am part of the community. Knowing I would be attending a gathering this morning, my prayer this day included affirming that everyone at the gathering would receive what they needed, including moi, which included meeting new people, leading to making new friends. I attended a women’s group at Unity of Prescott, even though I am currently a member of Center for Spiritual Living–Prescott; the group welcomes all who adhere to a similar outlook on life and Spirit. I’ve been involved in both the Unity and the Science of Mind New Thought philosophies for many moons and they are quite similar, so I was thrilled to be … Continue reading →

Creativity of Mind

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“The ability to attain your goals—to control your experiences and have them result in happiness, prosperity, and success—lies in your own mind and the way you use it. “If your thinking processes are under your personal control and if thought is acted upon by the creativity of Mind to produce results according to your beliefs, then you surely do have the power to become the master of your own affairs and to bring to pass those good conditions you desire.” – “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes,” April 13 I feel so alive with spring here and Nature blossoming around me—it sets me on a path of creating the life I desire! I gratefully can pursue it a bit more easily now that the impact of the pandemic on life as we knew it is on the wane (at least for now) and the world is opening up. I am again attending live theatre performances and concerts, and discovering what my new home town of nine months offers culturally. It fills me with joy and enthusiasm. All these months I could have been living anywhere, as I worked a remote job and mainly went … Continue reading →

There is Only the One

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“We believe in spiritual mind healing. It is part of our conviction and our practice. At the same time, we do not disbelieve in any form of healing, whether it be medicine, surgery, psychiatry, diet or exercise. “Some people say to me that they think we should believe in only one. Every new discovery in medicine is just as much a revelation of God for a specific purpose as a new invention or a new interpretation of Life Itself. “There is only the One operating in all these channels.” – Excerpt from “Your Mind is Creative“ by Ernest Homes, reprinted from the January 1965 Science of Mind magazine Healing is on my mind acutely due to a friend’s 19-year-old son, Kelton, having had a brain hemorrhage earlier this week, as I wrote about in yesterday’s blog, Practicing the Presence of God. I’ve not been a fan of western medicine most of my life but I know that it has its place in health. That has been quite evident in the treatment of Kelton’s critical emergency. I’m grateful to report that as of this writing, the actions taken to get his situation manageable have worked. His body was in the condition … Continue reading →

The Spiritual Life

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“I came to this program to save my ass and found out it was attached to my soul.”– Anonymous “God gets our attention in a lot of different ways. “And now we are learning about the spiritual aspect of our life, the one we had so long neglected. Now we are partaking of God’s love—soul food—and discovering that the spiritual life is fuller and more rewarding than anything we thought possible. Nothing we do to please our body can compare to the joy of unconditional love.” – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” March 31 *As We Understand God God, aka Spirit, got my attention by hitting me over the head with a baseball bat in the form of food (an eating disorder). And, I do believe it was the only way Spirit was going to get this devout atheist’s attention. Nevertheless, it was not until I was in my mid-thirties that I finally found the solution to my eating disorder, not to mention my less than joyful life and relationships. Starting my conscious spiritual journey with the Twelve Steps led me to learn about and practice additional spiritual ideas and concepts, including A Course in Miracles, … Continue reading →